How The Last of Us TV Series Turned Controversial Gaming Icon Into 2025’s Antihero
For months, casting rumors ran wild as fans wondered who would take on Abby’s leviathan-sized boots in The Last of Us Season 2. The wait is over, though, and as of spring 2025, Kaitlyn Dever is here – and she’s turning some wild expectations on their heads. Abby stormed onto our screens not just as a force of nature, but also as a puzzle: part antihero, part villain, maybe even a bit of an unexpected inspiration. Whether you love her or hate her, you just can’t look away.
Let’s cut through the cordyceps buzz and really dig into Dever’s take on Abby, how fan reception is changing, what’s happening behind the scenes, and where this new version of Abby might be heading.
Meet Abby: The Weight Of Revenge
First, a refresher: In the world of Joel and Ellie, nobody comes out clean. Abby, played in Season 2 by Kaitlyn Dever, enters the drama with a vendetta. Her father – a Firefly surgeon – died at Joel’s hands in Episode 9 of Season 1. Cue a multi-year mission that brings Abby into the ranks of the Washington Liberation Front, or WLF. The WLF is rough, organized, and pretty much the biggest militia in post-collapse Seattle. Abby’s life gets a razor-sharp focus: find Joel, make him pay, and maybe, just maybe, find something like peace.
In the original game, Abby was massive. As in, built-like-a-brick-wall massive. She’s tough, resourceful, and emotionally barricaded. That meant big challenges for any actor, and the internet lost its collective mind as soon as Kaitlyn Dever’s name surfaced.
Casting The Controversy: Kaitlyn Dever Steps Up
So, why Kaitlyn Dever? Craig Mazin (showrunner) and Neil Druckmann (co-creator) said it right out loud: Nail the spirit, not the body. The team stressed that casting Dever was all about capturing Abby’s headspace – her rage, guilt, and conflicted empathy – not just her muscles ([ScreenRant](https://screenrant.com/last-of-us-season-2-abby-kaitlyn-dever-casting-defense/)). Dever’s resume? “Booksmart,” “Unbelievable,” and a shelf groaning with sensitive, nuanced performances. She brings a different energy, and according to Druckmann himself, “Kaitlyn has the spirit of the game in her.” Most game fans ended up echoing Mazin’s logic online after episode previews dropped.
But Dever didn’t just walk on set and start smashing things with a wrench. Instead, she doubled down on stunt training. Reports from HBO’s behind-the-scenes clips show her swinging steel, hauling gear, and learning enough combat choreography to make even Pedro Pascal sweat. (Okay, Pedro didn’t actually say that, but just go with it. By all accounts, her commitment was nothing short of wild.)
The Physicality Factor: Muscles vs. Mindset
Here’s where the conversation gets spicy. Game Abby looked like she could bench-press shipping containers, but Dever’s approach tilts into the psychological. Mazin explained, “There’s not as much violent action moment to moment. It’s more about the drama” ([Collider](https://collider.com/the-last-of-us-neil-druckmann-abby-physique/)).
That doesn’t mean Dever’s Abby is soft. On the contrary, her intensity comes through in every stare-down, every shaky breath, and every stubborn decision. She’s less a juggernaut and more a powder keg – a bundle of nerves, fury, and pain. It’s a gamble, but so far, reviewers and most critics are calling it a win.
Mood Swings: Internet Backlash and the Power of Abby’s Story
Well, here’s the thing. As soon as that casting news broke, parts of the internet erupted. Some fans muttered about “accuracy” while others worried Dever didn’t look intimidating enough. Reddit rumbled. Memes flew. And, because this is the internet, nobody held back.
But then, HBO dropped teasers. Twitter threads switched gears as screeners praised Dever’s raw, angry take. One Reddit user actually wrote, “She’s the perfect Abby. Really happy with her casting and knowing she’s a great actress just solidifies she’ll do a great job.” Fan art surged. Cosplayers crunched out some wild Dever-as-Abby looks just hours after trailers aired.
Isabela Merced (Dina on the show) stoked the fire, telling GamesRadar, “Give her the damn Emmy, honestly” ([GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/drama-shows/isabela-merced-praises-kaitlyn-dever-abby-the-last-of-us-season-2/)). And it’s not just cast hype – the Twitter #AbbyAnderson trending tag hit a season high after Episode 5’s emotional standoff. The shift is real. People who once doubted Dever have started to root for her. Sure, a few corners of the fandom still want someone more ripped, but drama-wise, Dever is delivering.
Digging into Dever: Actor’s Prep and Performance
If you thought Abby’s emotional heavy lifting just happened overnight, think again. HBO’s on-set journals reveal Dever met multiple times with Druckmann and Mazin to “get inside the lines,” tracing every psychic bruise Abby carried from the loss of her dad to the WLF’s hardest missions. Dever didn’t shy from the baggage. She talked publicly about steering clear of internet hot takes, admitting it’s “been hard to not look at character backlash on the internet,” but that she had to tune it out to get the job done ([GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/sci-fi-shows/the-last-of-us-season-2s-abby-star-kaitlyn-dever-admits-its-been-hard-to-not-look-at-character-backlash-on-the-internet/)).
And then there’s the actual work. Dever went through fight training bootcamps, and HBO’s leads raved about her dedication. In season featurettes, she’s seen running obstacle courses, grappling with stunt doubles, and yes, absolutely nailing those iconic Abby glare-downs. She even practiced moving with tension – one of Abby’s trademarks is her nervous, barely-in-control energy. When she finally confronted Joel, you could practically feel her heartbreak through the screen.
From Villain to Anti-Hero: Plot Twists and Character Growth
In the games and on the show, Abby’s story arc always felt like a razor blade. She’s hunting Joel. You can hate her for it, or you can see why. Dever’s Abby amplifies that tension, especially by season’s midpoint. There’s a decisive moment in Episode 6 where Abby stands over a helpless enemy – something about the way Dever’s hands shake has sent TikTok into a theory spiral. Is Abby remorseful? Or is she stuck in the cycle of violence, just like Ellie? If you look at the GameSpot and GamesRadar recaps after new episodes, “emotional nuance” shows up everywhere.
Earlier this May, Mazin jumped on an official podcast to tease that Abby’s flashback scenes with her father would “disorient” audiences, and so far, the show hasn’t disappointed. One scene – smuggled out by a sneaky extra on TikTok – shows Abby finding a keepsake from her childhood, and that seven-second clip already has thousands of retweets. Abby’s not a monster. Maybe she never was.
The Seattle Shuffle: Abby’s Enemies and Allies
Let’s not skip the setting. Dever’s Abby exists in a splintered Seattle. The WLF storyline cranks up the action, but also the paranoia. Abby navigates shifting alliances, internal coups, and a city overrun by infected. Showrunners spent hours reworking the “Rat King” plot (remember the game’s grossest monster?) so that Dever’s Abby gets stuck with it – alone and unarmed. Fans on Reddit have already pointed out how this tightens Abby’s arc, pushing her from tough soldier to lone survivor.
Even more interesting? Dever’s subtle chemistry with Lev, the ex-Seraphite runaway, is spiking online interest. A subreddit poll from late April crowned them the season’s “best new dynamic duo.” Their scene sharing rations in the Seattle tunnels has inspired a whole boatload of fanfic, too.
Fan Pulse: Is Abby Winning Over the Doubters?
The million-dollar question, right? Judging by trending tags and meme churn, most viewers have come around. A popular Reddit theory after Episode 5 suggests that Abby, in Dever’s hands, has become the antihero fans “love to fear but fear to love.” Fan video essays linger on her decisive takedowns, but the same YouTubers admit they feel torn. A few big Twitter accounts, like @TLOUFanTheory, even posted, “Dever crushed it. Nobody else could have gotten that blend of rage and regret right.”
Critics are joining in, too. The Wrap awarded Abby’s big Episode 6 moment their “Sequence of the Week.” Meanwhile, Bella Ramsey (Ellie) gave a shout-out to Dever on Instagram, posting, “Two sides of the same apocalypse coin.” The shipping has begun, and so has the meme-fueled camaraderie.
Where Does Abby Go From Here?
There’s still a whole season to play out, and showrunner hints suggest we’ll get plenty more Abby flashbacks – some of them brand new to TV-only watchers. Craig Mazin now openly teases “unexpected empathy beats” and even “new chapter reversals” before the finale this May.
Looking further, Dever herself hinted at a possible third season in recent interviews. Will Abby survive another round, or are we headed for heartbreak? The fanbase remains split, but one thing’s for sure: for the rest of this season, Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby belongs to the people. And maybe, just maybe, that’s exactly the way it should be – raw, divisive, and absolutely impossible to ignore.
No matter how the chips fall, Abby’s never just become a villain in pixels or pixels-on-screen. Thanks to Dever, Seattle’s most wanted is finally the complicated, lightning-in-a-bottle character fans (and haters) can’t stop dissecting. Pass the wrench. We’re not done yet.
